Laughter
by AnnaRegina
Summary: Sometimes a thing as simple as laughter sets someone apart from the rest. YukixOC...I think
1. Laugh

Title: Laughter

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket…obviously. Nor do I own, the song "Tears"…though I do love it.

Yuki Sohma was at a loss for words. Something he rarely was. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to reply to this question. Usually he would reply with a quick, but sincere 'no'. But, this was not like all the other times. This girl standing before him was different. One look at her would tell you that.

The girl had thick, frizzy golden-brown hair that was pulled back into a thick braid that ended past her shoulder blades. Her eyes were big and brown with golden flecks, framed in thick eyelashes. She was much shorter than Yuki was, even shorter than Tohru and her skin was light tan. She was dressed neatly in the school uniform, but it looked to be a size too big. Maybe she had recently lost weight? Yuki didn't know.

He knew her name was Satsu Oshiro and that was about it. Even though she had been in his class for the past three years. Yet, he had never really spoken to her before. Maybe a morning greeting or a few words while waiting to leave school, but that was about it.

And now, she was standing before him, with a nervous, yet pretty smile on her face. He'd never been so close to her before and could see her features more clearly. Her face was structured nicely and Yuki had to admit she had pretty eyes. Her eyes were quite expressive, making it easy for someone to tell how she was feeling.

Yuki had remained silent for the past five minutes, unsure of how to respond. The hope in her eyes was dying as if she had anticipated this. At last, she spoke up.

"I apologize for bothering you, Sohma-san. Forget I asked." She began to turn away, but Yuki stopped her.

"No, I was just surprised, Oshiro-san. I had no idea you thought of me in that way. I'm afraid to say that I do not know you very well. Perhaps, we could hang out some before I gave you my answer."

This was something she had certainly not expected. Something in her eyes told him that a small part of her was silently wishing for a quick rejection so she could move on. But the rest was screaming, 'Thank you.'

"That's good, Sohma-san. I would really like that." Satsu bowed deeply and then entered the classroom for the last block of the day. Yuki followed shortly entering just as the tardy bell rang.

"Why are you late Sohma-kun?" Tohru asked him instantly, before he was able to sit down.

"I was just making a new friend, Honda-san. I believe we might have a guest for dinner though."

"Really? Okay, that's great!" she replied, beaming. For some reason, during that class period, Yuki felt his attention constantly being drawn to the brunette across the room. She seemed to be intensely concentrating on something in her hands, which were in her lap. He also noticed the slight bop of her head as if she was listening to music. It took him a few minutes before he noticed the white cord winding up to her ear.

'_She's not even paying attention.'_ He thought amazed. The Sohma found this quite odd considering she made good grades, but she wasn't even listening to the teacher.

Behind him, Kyo was eyeing his cousin suspiciously. He had suddenly taken an extreme interest in a girl in this class. The cat vaguely remembered seeing her around school, but he had never wasted his time talking to her. What he wanted to know was what Yuki found so endearing about this girl. From the few blurry mental images he had of her face, Kyo knew she wasn't ugly. But, she wasn't extremely beautiful either. And he also knew that Yuki knew nearly as much about her as Kyo himself did.

After School

Satsu Oshiro was not sure if she had actually made the right decision. Secretly, she had been hoping that the 'Prince' of Kaibara High would just outright reject her. Instead, he offered to get to know her better. And now, having been invited to dinner at his home, she was walking home with him, his cousin, Kyo, and Tohru who basically acted as a live-in maid.

Tohru was talking animatedly to Kyo and Yuki, leaving Satsu to reflect on her day.

She had an earphone in her right ear, leaving the left one free to halfway listen to their conversation. She tapped her fingers in time against her thigh to the music playing in her ear. It was one of her all time favourite bands, X Japan. And one of her favourite songs, "Tears".

♪

_Loneliness, you silent whisper_

_Fills a river of tears through the night_

_Memory, you never let me cry_

_And you, you never said goodbye_

_Sometimes our tears blinded the love_

_We lost our dreams along the way_

_But, I never thought you'd trade your soul to the fates_

_Never thought, you'd leave me alone_

♪

_Time through the rain has set me free_

_Sands of time will keep your memory_

_Love everlasting fades away_

_Alive within your beatless heart…_

♪

Satsu had been absorbed in the song and didn't realize that Yuki was trying to get her attention. That is, until she tripped over a particularly large rock.

"Damn," she muttered. The other three halted and Yuki held out his hand to help her up. "Ah, thank you."

"No problem. You were spacing out; you must not have heard me." He replied simply.

"Sorry." A sudden blush crossed Satsu's features and she quickly withdrew her hand. She then proceeded to dust off her skirt.

"It's quite alright. I was asking what your favourite food was. Honda-san wished to know."

The brunette looked past Yuki at Tohru who was staring at her, seeming greatly interested in her reply.

"It's a Greek dish," Satsu began, "I like gyros."

"Gyros?" Tohru said the foreign word carefully.

"I…know how to make them. I could teach you if you like, Honda-san." She offered, not sure what had possessed her too. But, the other girl's eyes widened at the prospect of a new dish to learn.

"I would love that! Could I call you Satsu-chan?"

"If you wish."

"Thank you and you can call me Tohru-chan!" The turquoise-eyed girl giggled at the look on Satsu's face. Kyo rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I'll go with you two on your shopping trip then. You shouldn't be walking around town alone." He said this statement as if it was some horrible punishment. But Tohru knew he wanted to.

"I'll come too." Yuki decided. Tohru smiled widely and giggled.

"We can make a double date out of it!" She suggested. Satsu smiled slightly and shrugged. Yuki glanced at the uncertainty in her eyes and shook his head.

"Maybe another time, Honda-san. For now we'll have to look for ingredients. After we explain everything to Shigure though."

"Okay." But, she suddenly brightened, "Let's go everyone!" She exclaimed after taking off into a run. Kyo was quick to follow. That was expected, everyone knew they were in love with each other.

But, Yuki and Satsu remained behind. And Yuki took this as an opportunity to ask Satsu about her life.

"Oshiro-san, what music were you listening to a little while ago?"

"Please, just Satsu-san or anything else you wish. I was listening to X Japan. It is sort of an old band, but I still love them. Especially, 'Tears', that song causes me to become so emotional." She stopped and handed Yuki an earphone. "Here, listen. The pianist, Yoshiki wrote it about his father committing suicide. I knew it was about death...but I didn't know that. I promise it won't depress you too much." A small smile grew on Satsu's face as Yuki accepted the earphone. He inserted it and waited for her to find the song on her mp3 player.

The intro was soft, full of strings playing the melody beautifully. And then the vocals started.

♪

_Doko ni yukeba ii_

_Anata to hanarete_

_Ima wa sugisatta_

_Toki ni toikakete_

_"Wherever we go is okay,"_

_You said_

_Now what may have been_

_Has been stopped by time_

_Naga sugita yoru ni_

_Tabidachi o yume mita_

_Ikoku no sora mitsumete_

_Kodoku o dakishimeta_

_On that night that was too long_

_I had a dream where you left me_

_Staring at a foreign sky_

_I hugged my loneliness_

_Nagareru namida o_

_Toki no kaze ni kasanete_

_Owaranai anata no_

_Toiki o kanjite_

_My fallen tears_

_Are piling up on the winds of time_

_At the end_

_I feel your breath_

_DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE_

_DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE_

_DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE_

_DRY YOUR TEARS WITH LOVE  
_♪

The two continued their walk to Shigure's house, listening to the song in silence. It ended as soon as they entered Yuki's home. Tohru and Kyo were seated in the living room talking to Shigure. Satsu removed her shoes and pocketed her mp3. She glanced over at Yuki who smiled and gestured for her to follow him into the room.

"Ah, another high school girl!" The novelist exclaimed, clearly pleased. He jumped up and walked over to the shocked Satsu. "I'm Shigure Sohma, owner of this home and Yun-chan's and Kyon-Kyon's older and much more handsome cousin!" He grinned suggestively at the girl before him. She stared at him for a minute before laughing loudly in his face.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…y-you're funny!" Satsu stuttered out, clutching her stomach.

"Tohru-kun, she's laughing at me…" Shigure whined, crawling over to Tohru.

"Ano…Satsu-chan?"

"What the hell is her problem?" muttered Kyo, hanging his head. But, Yuki seemed to be the most surprised of them all.

'_She laughs as if that was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Not afraid to hurt anyone's feelings either.' _In spite of himself, Yuki felt the urge to chuckle, but fought it off.

"We should get going," Tohru said at last to the other teenagers. Satsu had calmed down, and let out a sigh.

"Good idea."

"Where are you going?" Shigure asked, becoming his normal immature self.

"Satsu-chan is going to teach me how to make…uh…gee…rows…?" Tohru stumbled over the last word and embarrassed flush growing on her cheeks.

"Gyros, they are a Greek dish. My favourite."

"How exotic! I am going to call Aya right now and tell him what a wonderful girlfriend his brother has."

"I'm not his girlfriend." "She's not my girlfriend."

"Then, why is she here?"

But, the two didn't reply. Shigure looked to Kyo and Tohru. Both did not know either. "I see." An awkward silence followed. "I'm still going to call Aya and Hatori so they can meet you!"

"That will be fun!" Tohru exclaimed joyfully. But, neither Yuki nor Kyo looked thrilled at the idea. Satsu merely looked indifferent on the matter. Until it seemed something sparked her memory.

"Wasn't Hatori-san that man who visited during a festival in our first year? The one who was smoking and is sure to develop lung cancer? Then again, nearly everything gives you cancer these days." It almost sounded as if she was thinking aloud.

"Yes, that's our Ha'ri! A medical doctor, but he smokes. What an oxymoron!" To Shigure's surprise, Satsu seemed to know what an oxymoron was and laughed.

"Quite." But the other three teens were grossly left out, judging by the bewilderment on their faces.

"You four better hurry up and leave before it gets too dark!" The novelist suggested, rising to his feet.

"You're right, Shigure-san!"

And soon enough they all departed.

Later that night

"Ha'ri, Aya, this is Satsu-chan, Yuki's 'friend'," Shigure explained with a wink. Satsu bowed, her hands clasped behind her back. Ayame beamed widely at her and nudged Hatori, who noticed that Yuki was eyeing his brother and Shigure with wary eyes.

'_He thinks something bad is going to happen.' _The dragon's eyes wandered to his two friends who were talking excitedly to each other, ever so often glancing towards Yuki. _'I cannot blame him though.' _

"You shouldn't smoke." Satsu said indignantly. Hatori looked upon her as if a rock had spoken.

"Excuse me?"

"During my first year at Kaibara High, you came to visit and you were smoking! You took five seconds off of everyone's life." She explained, her eyes gazing up at him. He shrugged and looked away.

"I think I'll live with the guilt." As just as she had done with Shigure, Satsu began to laugh. This left the doctor unsettled, not being used to have someone so openly laugh in his face. Yuki was chuckling softly at his cousin's expression. Tohru found herself giggling as well and Aya and Shigure had begun cackling at their friend. But Kyo remained silent, finding nothing funny.

"What the hell…"

Even Later

That night, Satsu sat on her bed, reflecting on the past day. It had been quite eventful. She picked up her brush from her bedside table and proceeded to brush out her hair that she had unbraided only moments ago.

"I never expected such kindness from Sohma-san…" she murmured to herself. After detangling her hair, Satsu walked into her bathroom and found her smoothing spray. She lightly sprayed the previously unused spray over her hair. Satsu slowly began to comb it through, all the while thinking and musing about her afternoon.

"I do wonder why he answered how he did though. A simple 'no' would have been much easier." The brunette paused in her spoken thoughts and sighed, "But everything happens for a reason, even though the truth may be hidden."

That very moment, but across town, Yuki was laying in bed as confused as she. He, himself, did not know why he hadn't flat out rejected her. Sure, she was different than the other simpering girls who were usually giggling whenever he entered the room. But, she wasn't the only girl. There was Honda-san, Hanajima-san and Uotani-san. But, Satsu-san was different. And yet, he didn't know how she was different yet. Maybe it was the fact that she did have feelings for him, but didn't act upon them. Or was it how little he knew about her? Or, maybe, it was her laugh. Never before had Yuki witnessed someone laughing so unashamed, so carefree.


	2. Star

Title: Laughter

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not won Fruits Basket.

A month passed slowly with similar dinners. Tohru and Satsu came to be friends. Yuki had also grown close to her, even if he did seem to keep her at arm's length at school. Shigure enjoyed her company greatly, often cajoling her into reading his books. He felt her could get a completely honest opinion from her. Kyo, on the other hand, was very wary of Satsu. He didn't seem to trust her. He thought she was too honest.

It was a sunny, warm Tuesday, the day of the fitness marathon. More than half the school had failed to show up. They all had the 'plague', or so said their 'parents' who called into the school. Satsu dragged herself to show up to this. She had never been to any others, so she figured today was as good as any to start. The brunette was leaning against the fence, listening to her music, when Yuki, Kyo and Tohru showed up.

"Ah, Satsu-chan!!!" Tohru exclaimed, waving happily to her. A slight tilt of the head signaled that she had heard the greeting.

"Hello Tohru-chan, Yuki-san, Kyo-san," she greeted in return, bowing to each of them.

"You're actually here," commented Yuki, a slight smirk on his face.

"Yeah. I figured I can only skip so many of these," Satsu replied with a shrug. A small smile was on her face. She stood up straight and stretched.

"Oh, there's Uo-chan and Hana-chan! I'm going to go talk to them!" announced Tohru, beaming widely. She tottered off to her two beloved friends leaving Satsu alone with the Sohma's. But then Kyo left to go stretch before the run.

"Do you want to come over for dinner again tonight?" he asked, looking quite expectantly at her.

"I don't know. I've come over practically every night. Are you sure I'm not a burden?" She looked down at her sneakers. They looked new. But, they weren't. The poor shoes had just been locked up inside her closet for a year.

"I'm sure you're not, Satsu-san. My family seems to really like you," he assured her.

"Hmm…okay. I guess so then," she replied. Satsu and Yuki then set to warm-up before the run. The brown-haired Satsu seemed more in shape than she gave herself credit for. Yuki was eyeing her oddly as she stretched gracefully.

"I took ballet for about five years. I can still stretch sort of. And I remember some of the moves, but I'm not nearly as agile as I once was." She explained, heeding his gaze. She then suddenly laughed. "I can't run though. You'll see."

In the distance, a coach blew a whistle. This coach happened to be right by Kyo Sohma when he did so.

"God, what the hell is your problem?" He demanded. The coach looked flustered and shrugged his shoulders.

"I d-didn't see you there."

"LIAR! That kuso nezumi made you do that didn't he." At that, the orange-haired male turned to Yuki and Satsu. "You'll lose today Yuki!! I swear on my own grave that I will b-"

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha" The ever-laughing Satsu had interrupted his challenge with her signature and cutting laugh. Yuki looked sideways at his companion, who had fallen to the ground. She was clutching her stomach with one hand, while the other pointed at the cat across the schoolyard. "Oh god…you're so dumb…" she managed to get out.

The schoolyard went silent. They were awaiting Kyo's reaction. He was soon cut short by the once unheard laughter of Yuki Sohma, resident prince.

"Oh my god, what's going on here? Not even that damn Tohru could make him laugh," Mio hurriedly whispered to Minami. The fan girls were at a loss. Something was happening to their beloved Yuki and they did not like it one bit.

Satsu immediately calmed down when she realized half of the school was not staring at Kyo or Yuki, but at her. She hastily stood up and pulled down her shorts.

"H-hi…" she said weakly. Yuki's laughter was cut short when he had realized what had happened.

"Oh no," Tohru gasped. She searched her mind for a quick solution and then ran out into the middle of the students. "Ah! Look at me! I'm dancing!" she shouted, dancing awkwardly. The image of Yuki laughing was replaced by the ungainly dance moves of Tohru Honda.

This time Satsu didn't laugh at her. Instead, she joined Tohru. Her dancing was even gawkier than Tohru's. The two girls smiled at one another, while they gyrated and turned about each other. Their hair fanned out behind them like banners.

Unexpected music filled the schoolyard. The source was a boom box that Uo had by her side. Loud, raucous rock emanated from the speakers. Soon enough, Hana, Momiji, Uo, Haru and even Kyo and Yuki had joined in the makeshift dance. Luckily they weren't all bad dancers. The zodiac members had to be good dancers since they had to dance for the New Year's celebration. The eight of them paired off into dance partners. Hana with Momiji, Uo and Haru, Kyo with Tohru (of course) and by default Yuki and Satsu.

It took the rest of the student body a few minutes before they all jumped in.

The coaches were at a loss what to do. But then the one that Kyo yelled out pulled a megaphone and used it.

"HEY! IF YOU KIDS DON'T GET YOUR BUTTS ON THE TRACK THIS MINUTE YOU WILL ALL HAVE DETENTION!!"

That was all it took for them to disperse and headed out to the track. Satsu and Yuki then realized that they were holding hands. The brunette tore her hands away and sprinted off into the street. He noted that her run was a little funny looking.

He didn't have time to reflect on the blatant denial delivered at Satsu's hands. Literally. The prince was the last to start his run. And he was one of the last to finish. Why? He wasn't that sure himself. All Yuki knew was that his mind kept wandering to the dance he had shared with the brown-eyed Satsu.

……

It was close to six o'clock and night was falling when Satsu showed up at the Shigure Sohma residence. Her hair was still wet from the hour-long shower she had taken. It had been so long because Satsu was thinking over the day.

She rang the doorbell twice, feeling quite impatient. Satsu fidgeted, wondering why she had chosen this specific outfit. She was wearing a knee-length white cotton dress with off the shoulder short sleeves. On her feet was a pair of matching Mary Jane's. Satsu had left her hair down; something she often did to let it dry. To protect her body from the cool evening breeze, she donned a lightweight grey jacket.

Shigure answered the door, a delightful smile growing on his face when he saw Satsu.

"Why hello there! Don't you look nice tonight?" The novelist stepped aside to welcome her in the house.

"N-not really. But thank you." Satsu removed her shoes and stepped up onto the hardwood floor.

"Yuki and the others are in the living room."

"Oh, okay. Thank you Shigure-san." She smiled gratefully and then went into the nearby room.

Kyo was sitting out on the porch with Tohru. Yuki was lying on his side reading a book. Hatori was sipping some tea, listening to Aya chatter on about his store.

"Look who I found!" Shigure proclaimed, coming up behind Satsu. He surprised her and she jumped.

"Ah!" her squeal brought everyone's attention to Satsu, if Shigure hadn't already.

"Satsu-san?" whispered Yuki, a pleased smile growing on his face.

"Hello, everyone."

"Ah, Satsu-chan, you look so different. So pretty," insisted Tohru with an excited squeal.

"She is right. My brother is so lucky to have a girl like you," Aya added with a rakish grin. He refused to believe that Satsu and Yuki weren't involved.

"I don't have her." "He doesn't have me."

The Madubachi Trio laughed at the embarrassed faces of their cousin and his friend.

"Ah, it is so fun to tease the young about love," commented Aya.

"Here, here," agreed Shigure.

Tohru rose to her feet with her signature smile. "I'll go get dinner now. Kyo, would you like to help me?"

"Sure." The couple departed from the room. Satsu sat down across from Hatori, who blatantly lit a cigarette.

"Hey." He addressed her, blowing out smoke. Satsu shot him her best withering look.

"Nice wrinkles, old man."

Shigure laughed nervously. The dragon was shooting Satsu an equally deadly look. Aya smiled happily, finding this great fun.

"Satsu-san, would you like to go on a walk before dinner?" inquired Yuki, sitting up and shutting his book.

"Uhm…okay."

"We'll be back later," he told his older cousins.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Aya called after him. Satsu blushed and followed quickly after Yuki.

It was a cool night outside. The stars were winking down upon the world. Sister moon was out in full force, her glow lighting up the earth beneath. Yuki strolled on the moonlit forest trails with Satsu, who was lagging behind him. She was trying to catch the heavens between the boughs of the tall trees.

"So…" she finally said, walking quickly to catch up with Yuki. The rat knew where he was taking them. His senses were honed to the secluded spot. "Today was interesting. I'm sorry you had to witness my awful, uncoordinated dancing," she apologized, a smile manifesting in her voice.

"You don't really dance like that," Yuki replied, veering off onto a trail. The trail wasn't carved out from heavy foot traffic like the one they were just on had been. "You said you were a dancer for four or five years. People, who are like that, don't dance as bad as you did. Though, you had me believing you for a second. You must have forgotten you told me that you used to go to dances every Friday night and that you dance alone at night."

Satsu silently cursed. She had forgotten. Well, Satsu had expected Yuki to act like a normal guy and forget everything she said.

"Oh…that's right," she answered. "You're not a bad dancer yourself. What's your story?"

"Ah, I'd rather not divulge that," Yuki said.

"Fine. I didn't want to know anyway." Satsu looked around. She had no idea where they were. And she was beginning to panic.

"We're almost there. Don't worry."

"Cool…" After a few silent minutes, the trail opened up into a large clearing beside a spring. The sky was visible and clear through the open canopy. The heavens seemed within touch. The spring was clear as far as Satsu could tell. A few large boulders provided seating areas. Those were what Yuki moved towards, but no Satsu. She marched right to the center of the clearing and plopped herself down. She wanted the sky to engulf her with its majesty.

"But Satsu…your dress," Yuki protested weakly.

"Bleach," came her logical response. Yuki nodded in agreement and joined his friend beneath the firmament.

"Do you know any constellations?"

"Only about four: Orion, Cassiopeia, Taurus and the Pleiades."

"Tell me about them." The brunette turned her head to look at her silver-haired companion and smiled.

"Sure, why not?" She turned her head back to stare up into the high, dark sky.

"Thank you." Unconsciously, her moved closer to the girl at his side, waiting for her to spin him a story.

"A long, long time ago in the ancient land of Greece, when gods were just as likely to knock on your door as a neighbor, there lived Cassiopeia. She was the beautiful wife of Cepheus, King of Ethipoia, and the mother of Andromeda. Her fame is most derived from connection with her daughter. Back in those days, it was unheard of for a mortal to boast of her beauty. The foolish queen proclaimed that she was more lovely than the Nereids and even the Queen of Gods herself, Hera."

"What are Nereids?"

"Sea nymphs. Very lovely."

"I see."

"Now, Hera is greatly known for her jealous temper. She has often caused great evils to fall upon those girls that Zeus favoured. Anyway, Hera and the other goddesses were offended. They went to Poseidon, king of the sea. He sent a sea monster to ravage the coast of Ethiopia. Cepheus and Cassopeia were ordered to sacrifice their daughter, Andromeda, to appease the wrath of the great sea god. She was chained to a rock, to await her grim fate. But, alas, who should show up but Perseus. He saved the lovely Andromeda just in time. Of course, they were married. There are some variations on this next part. Some believed Cassiopeia was very pleased with her daughter's husband. While others say she was angry and Perseus turned her to stone with Medusa's severed head. Even though she was placed in the heavens by Poseidon, he made sure she would be humiliated for now and eternity. She is placed sitting on her throne, her head facing towards Polaris. She spends most of each and every night for now and evermore upside-down." Satsu ended with a sigh.

"Interesting. Is Cassiopeia the w-shape?"

"Yeah…it is an odd position now that I think about it," she stated.

"How do you remember all this information?" inquired Yuki.

"If something interests me than I do not forget it easily. It sticks in my mind. Also, I used to study myths religiously when I was younger," she laughed, recalling a funny instance. "I even played this game with my brother and sister where we would pick a god or goddess to be."

"Really?" The prince sounded amazed. Then again, thinking about it, he never knew what to expect from Satsu.

"I had to be Aphrodite or I would not play. I made my older sister by Athena or Artemis because they weren't the 'goddess of love and beauty'. Oh, how naïve I was." She laughed harder and squirmed. "Ah, thinking about the past gives me all these weird feelings…"

"Good ones?"

"Not really…all good ones lead to bad and the bad lead to worse."

"Same here. I try not to reflect on the past. But it can be hard sometimes."

"I tell myself to live for now and forget the rest, yet it gets lost. I end up reflecting over the times of yore and the imminent future. I find myself despairing over what went wrong and what will go wrong. It's hard to live in the present-day."

"It is hard to forget. Those wounds from yesteryear never fade." He paused in his speech for a second. "Want to know what I believe?"

"Yes."

"I think that although the scars from days gone by remain…that I…or we can continue on if we just believe in the future or ourselves. There's no use wishing to be reborn into our lives. It's impossible. Nonetheless, we have the ability to change what we dislike in our lives."

"Wonderfully put, Yuki-ouji," Satsu whispered, letting his words soak in.

"Thank you, Satsu-hime."

Satsue tried to vainly will her growing blush away. "Princess?" she murmured, her voice getting carried with the slight breeze to his ears.

"Hai. Princess Satsu. I think it rather suits you. Besides, every prince needs his princess."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked him, turning on her side. Her wide brown eyes stared at him, showing her fears and hopes to him. Yuki Sohma merely smiled in return, feeling that he was taking the right step.

"I said I should change what I dislike in my live. I'm not fond of the fact I'm too cowardly to tell you what I really feel for you. I've been putting it off for a couple weeks now. You have no idea how likeable you really are, Satsu."

Still, she stared. He noticed with happiness, the fear was fast dissipating and soon replaced with undisguised joy. She waited on bated breath for him to continue.

"You're very amusing Satsu. You actually got me to laugh in school, not to mention dance in front of half of them. I'm not really used to opening up and letting go of my inhibitions, but you've broken down those barriers with your harmless teasing and laughs at Shigure, Kyo and others. That's not the only reason I like you though. There are many others: your smile, your wit and intelligence, your memory, your personality among many other aspects. I fear I am running on. What I am getting to is that, I feel I really like you. But…"

The budding beam was dampened at the 'but'. It's amazing what bad connotation some words can have. Satsu sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. This was not what she had expected.

"I'm not entirely free to have a relationship right now. There is something I am waiting for. I hope it comes soon, for I can tell you everything. Right now, I do not want you to get involved. It's too dangerous."

"Ooh…okay. I u-understand," she declared shakily. Her spotless white dress was covered in the loose dust and dirt she had stirred up in her storytelling and the trek out here. Satsu stood up fully and looked painfully down at Yuki. He was staring right back at her, violet eyes reflecting her ache. Satsu knew this was hard for him. But, she couldn't help but feel rejected.

"Satsu…" commenced Yuki, reaching up to touch her hand. "I'm sorry. Please wait for me." His normal impassive voice was filled with pleading and sorrow. The infinite anguish in her eyes and on her face was enough to break her heart.

"Oh god…why does life have to be like this?" she fell to her knees, weeping. Deep sobs wracked her body, shaking her to the core. The forlorn prince tried his best to comfort her, but was unable to. He couldn't hold her. All he could do was place a reassuring hand on her shoulder and try to wipe away her tears.

"Will you wait for me?" he asked, desperation flooding his voice. The girl in question nodded strongly and managed to force out a few words.

"I hope it isn't too long," she said.

"Me too."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I thought it would be too nice to hook them up immediately. Also, most of you probably recognized Yuki's spiel about scars was an adaptation of the opening theme song. If so, woot woot for you. The third chapter should be up soon enough, possibly within a few days. **


	3. Break

Title: Laughter

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Tohru and the Sohmas (minus Yuki) were finding the whole situation awkward. Satsu looked disheveled and had tearstains down her dusty cheeks. Yuki was quieter than normal, his pallor deathly pale and his fingers trembling. The two would not meet one another's eyes.

"Ano…" Tohru murmured. She was the most bewildered. Her turquoise eyes met the gaze of each member of the Madubachi Trio and that of Kyo. Their reply was a shrug of the shoulder or a concerned look.

Satsu had barely touched her food. She continuously rearranged it with her chopsticks, a sullen glaze to her usually bright eyes. She placed her chopsticks down on the table with a subdued click.

"Tohru-chan, I apologize for not eating much. It was truly delicious, but I have lost my appetite. Anyway, I should be getting home." She rose unsteadily to her feet.

"Satsu…would you like me to walk you?" Yuki asked suddenly. Hatori glanced at his cousin's white hand clenching his chopsticks in his left hand. Something was not right.

"No thanks. I can manage on my own." She moved to leave the room when sudden downpour began with a distant clap of thunder. "Oh dear," Satsu whispered.

Hatori stood up and looked to Yuki. "I will drive her home," the doctor informed his cousin.

"Thank you, Hatori-san." She bowed to Hatori before addressing Yuki. "I'll be fine, Yuki. Don't worry about me."

With her words said, Satsu left followed shortly by Hatori.

"Dear brother, what happened?" Aya questioned. Yuki glanced up at his older brother. He sounded concerned.

"I-I told Satsu that I liked her, but then…I said we couldn't be in a relationship. I did not tell her why though."

"But why?" Shigure wondered.

"It's better to not have any chances for her to get hurt by Akito. I don't want her involved in this mess."

"You're pathetic," snapped Kyo. They were the first words he had spoken all night. His red eyes flashed dangerously, staring coldly at the rat.

"Excuse me?" Yuki sputtered. Tension was rising in the room causing dizziness on Tohru's part, as almost any dissension did.

"You are pathetic. Yuki Sohma, the rat, isn't even strong or brave enough to stand up to Akito and date the girl that he's half in love with. I see the way you stare at her when you think no one's looking. And I've seen the way her eyes always find you every time you speak or move. She's changed you. You laughed! You danced! And now you're throwing it all away because of your own Achilles' heel. You're afraid of getting too close to her, of loving her too much! I'm sick of Akito controlling our lives! We're doing just what he wants, giving in and not fighting back!" His honest words hung heavily in the air. Yuki looked away from his cousin and heaved a sigh.

"Why not follow your own advice, baka neko?" he retorted. But, Kyo's reasoning hit him. He was running away again. Yuki, the rat-special, gifted, superior-was only good at running away. A slitherer-outer.

"You know what? Fine! Then you can't throw it in my face." Kyo turned to Tohru. Those same crimson eyes that held all that hate and fervor had turned soft and gentle when they landed on _his_ Tohru. "I LOVE YOU TOHRU HONDA!" He shot to his feet and ran outside into the falling rain. Tohru, along with the others, stared amazed after him. He held his arms out to feel the rain on his body. "I don't care who knows anymore! I LOVE TOHRU HONDA!"

Tohru rushed outside to stand with Kyo. A wide, happy smile graced her face, her eyes shining with her unspoken love.

"I LOVE KYO SOHMA!" she screamed, her voice echoing.

"T-Tohru…?" The cat stared down at the riceball, both had a terrible red blush on their cheeks. In spite of himself, he reached down and pulled her into a tight hug.

The amazement did not end with their confessions. No untimely 'poof' interrupted their hug. Kyo was left in his human form, relishing the feel of his one love in his arms.

"Oh my."

"What the?"

"Impossible."

Their reactions fell on deaf ears. Tohru and Kyo were lost in their jubilee. The new couple stayed out beneath the night sky and rain, dancing and laughing. They were overcome with joy. Kyo shouted to the retreating rat, "It's your turn, kuso nezumi!"

He ignored it and went to his room and locked the door behind him.

"What do you think this means?" Aya asked Shigure.

"It means that Akito is losing his power. The end is near. Love is what broke Kyo's curse. He blatantly defied Akito's wishes and that is what needed the curse to be broken. And he opened Yuki's eyes. Hatori will have to know."

"Not just yet though. He's probably getting the gossip from Satsu."

"How very true."

……

Thirty minutes earlier Satsu sat in the passenger seat unaware of the happenings inside the house. Her escort was silent, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Hatori-san. You probably want to know what happened…" Satsu said.

"It's your business. Not mine."

"Oh okay…" She stared aimlessly out the window, her mind retrogressing back to a few hours ago. Oh god, the chill that went up Satsu's spine when Yuki called her 'Satsu-hime.'

"Is there anything you wish to talk about?"

"Not especially. I just wish that he had told me his reason for the brush-off. Well, not really a brush-off…but a 'break' maybe. I don't know what it was. He told me he liked me…and then said we couldn't have a relationship. I wish I knew why. I figure he kept it a secret for a good reason though."

"I assure you that he did. Give it time, Satsu-san."

He pulled to a stop outside her apartment complex. Satsu gathered her bag and jacket and ran for cover into her home.

The information she had divulged seemed enough to satisfy his interest.

"Yuki, Yuki, Yuki," he murmured. "How stupid can you be?"

……

News of Tohru and Kyo's new relationship spread like wildfire throughout the school. The couple was barely able time to take in the glorious day that befell the town. The day for them was a bright and happy one, simply because they had one another.

Satsu appeared to Yuki as completely unaffected from the previous night's events and he decided to treat her as such.

Unfortunately, the Prince Yuki Fan Club had called in back up to deal with this 'special' situation. It was rather humourous to observe, if your name wasn't Yuki Sohma or Satsu Oshiro, of course. The former was being followed nearly everywhere, while the latter was obstinately snubbed by those same girls for no virtual reason aside from her apparent "closeness" to their beloved Yuki.

School was slowly turning into a dreary affair for Satsu. She didn't show it though. To her peers she was the same lively Satsu.

"Satsu!" Yuki exclaimed, approaching the brunette. She glanced up from her book and flashed a bright smile.

"Hiya Yuki-san," she hailed. But, then bent her head back over her book, resuming her reading.

The prince was unsure of what to do at this point. Had she just snubbed him? It was after school and he had come across Satsu in the park. Sitting on the bench underneath the wide blue sky, she was completely still. Yuki stood only a few feet away from her, but he had the feeling she was miles away, maybe even years away.

Without asking her permission, he sat down on the opposite side of the bench. Whatever it was Satsu was reading, she was not the least conscious of her surroundings.

Their silence was comfortable, a departure from the awkwardness of the past days.

An exhaled breath signaled Satu's return to the "real" world. She shut her book and turned her head to look at her comrade.

"Oh, Yuki-san, hello. When'd you get here?" She asked him. She did not seem to remember the greeting they had exchanged earlier. Yuki decided not to tell her.

"Just a little while ago. You seemed engrossed by your book, so I resolved not to bother you."

"But, you wouldn't be bothering me, Yuki. I wouldn't have minded."

"I'll keep that in mind. By the way, what are you reading?"

"_Wuthering Heights._" She answered with a bittersweet smile.

"What's it about?"

She feigned a gasp at his inquiry. In Satsu's little world that was a crime, a heinous crime. Nonetheless, she was always up for converting another soul.

"A tragic love story. Very touching. It's sort of hard to explain though. I'm not very good with summarizing. But, to put it shortly: Kathy loves Heathcliff but marries Edgar because Heathcliff is lowborn. Heathcliff marries Isabella, Edgar's sister as part of his revenge. There's a lot of back-story though. They end up together in the end though: in death."

"It doesn't sound that interesting," Yuki spoke, voicing his thoughts. A sharp look was Satsu's reply. And she scoffed.

"Because you are a male and males have no feelings and stupid books, movies and stories create these remarkably unrealistic expectations. We expect guys to be gentlemen, to be emotionally open, to express their jealousy, to whisk us away. In reality, they fall short. Men suck. Not to mention the fact that one girl is not enough for them. They need more than one. Dirty rotten sluts."

"Don't hold anything back," joked Yuki.

"You're the worst kind of male of all. Sometimes I seriously hate you. Even though every day I find my feelings for you growing. God, Yuki! Can't you see how miserable I am? Why can't you take a chance?! I want you to smile only at me and touch me with those fingers. It's such a simple desire, but I can't have it."

"S-Satsu…" he began, voice meek and filling with hurt.

"No! I am talking now! You talked before! Because of you, I don't want to know what it is like to fall in love with someone! I wish I never had these feelings! I wish I never asked you out! Even if I do retain tender moments, it hurts the rest of the time…it hurts so much. I know that I alone cry until the morning comes… Nevertheless, I wait. Nothing changes. No one cares what happens to me…no one cares…"

Satsu's falling tears silenced any further words she might have shouted. Yuki closed the space between them and captured her lips with his in a desperate kiss, one full of all the angst and emotion that was bottled up.

The fazed girl stared dumbly at Yuki. Never before had she been kissed, and she had not expected her first one to come after she had yelled at the bestower.

"Satsu-hime, I want to be your prince. I would like for you to be my girlfriend."

All the resolve that Satsu had built up and all those vows she had taken dissipated with his words. It's amazing what a prince's words can do to the oaths a teenaged girl makes to herself. Satsu wasn't the first or the last to be cajoled by a prince's lexis, nor would she be the last. Cinderella was to blame.

"O-okay…" Her reply was most uncharacteristic. Normally she would have a wonderfully thought out response. But, words failed her.

"Thank you," the rat whispered.

"For what?" wondered Satsu, her face flushed and eyes bright. Yuki leaned his forehead against hers, his words coming out softly.

"For loving me…"

"You don't have to thank me."

"But I want to."

"Why?"

He pulled back and turned to face the walking path. His body was tense suddenly and face taut.

"I'm not a good person, Satsu. I do not deserve happiness, for I am a simpering coward."

"Everyone deserves happiness or at least the right to hope and dream for it. We are but humans; we're not perfect. It is not in our nature to lack faults. Even the most honourable, brave people have faults. There is no reason for you to punish yourself. I want to be with you and you want to be with me. Isn't that all that should matter?"

"It is. But, usually it isn't. There are many things that can inhibit a relationship: jealousy, envy, anger, paranoia."

"That is not what we should concern ourselves with now, Yuki-ouji."

"I guess your right. Hopefully we'll have a lifetime to worry about them."

Yuki gasped at his words, unintentionally speaking his thoughts again. Satsu just smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"With any luck we shall." She got to her feet. The sky was darkening; it was dusk. To the east, the faint glow of stars rising in the sky signaled the beginning of the night. To the west, the sun was visible above the trees, glowing a crimson red mixed with hues of yellows, pinks and oranges. High above them, on the top of the dome of the sky night met day and melded into an array of brilliant colours. "Wow, it's beautiful," Satsu breathed, inhaling the warm air. It was in intoxicating. The air went down to her core, filling her body with new life. It seemed Yuki was experiencing the same exhilarating, new emotion.

"The world seems different, doesn't it?" Satsu asked, her arms held straight out from her sides, relishing in the sky.

"Yes, it does. I wonder what happened," he replied, joining her.

**Author's Note: Sorry this one is a little short. . .**


End file.
